Dedicated to the preservation of Long Island's 'gold coast' estates and other things old.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Otto

Taking a break from the usual I thought I would post a photo of my dog Otto who is recovering from yet another knee surgery (8 days out now). It was two years ago this month I posted about his first surgery on his right knee while this year he's been dealing with the left knee and in between was a big ole mess (torn groin muscle, torn meniscus...it goes on). But he finally appears to be on the mend after a very long, very bumpy road. Happy weekend.

I hope all goes well with Otto's recovery. He looks like he's in great shape.

I have a client who is an eminent orthopedic surgeon- and a dog lover. One of his dogs just had to undergo the canine equivalent of hip replacement surgery. My client told me that he paid the veterinary surgeon more than he is reimbursed for a human hip replacement. Go figure.

Jesuit officials confirmed Monday that the St. Ignatius Retreat House in North Hills has been sold to a local development firm for more than $36 million.Rev. Vincent Cooke, who is overseeing the sale of the 33-acre property for the Jesuit order, said the sale was completed by the Manhasset Bay Group Inc. for $36.5 million. Cooke declined to name the buyer with whom the Manhasset Bay Group is working or more details about the Manhasset Bay Group other than its name.“I really can’t tell you anything else,” Cooke said.Efforts to reach Manhasset Bay Group officials were unavailing. The group’s attorneys at Cullen & Dykman LLP declined comment. Sources familiar with project have said the developer was based in Hong Kong.The 87-room retreat house, named “Inisfada” after the Gaelic word for “Long Island,” was built for $2.3 million between 1916-1920 for industrialist Nicholas Brady and his wife Genevieve, who also had residences in Manhattan and Rome.Following her death in 1938, Genevieve Brady left Inisfada to the Jesuit order, which used the Searingtown Road property as a seminary and retreat house for regional parishes and faith-based addiction help support groups.The Jesuits maintained the property for more than 50 years, but officials said high operating costs led the order to sell off most of the 300-acre property over the years. The order put the property on the housing market for $49 million a little more than a year ago. It is unclear whether the buyer plans to maintain the mansion and build around it or demolish it outright. Village of North Hills mayor Marvin Natiss has said the buyer has expressed interest in building condominiums on the property and turn it into “the jewel of North Hills.” The property has zoning for two houses per acre.SnyergyFirst International, a Brooklyn-based health care group that has interest in buying the house and maintaining it as a retreat, tried to challenge the Jesuits in Nassau County Supreme Court on Thursday in an effort to prevent the sale.